Former Taiwanese engineer received the cordon from Japan 

"70 years ago, I entered a dorm from Yokohama. I feel nostalgic."

He attended the former junior Taiwanese engineers reception held on 9 May 2013 in Zama-city, Kanagawa prefecture. The large hall almost reached its maximum capacity 1300.

He expressed gratitude on behalf of 250 Taiwanese attendees, who visited Japan to enter a meet.

He was born in Taipei when Japan ruled over and governed Taiwan. Japan recruited engineers because of the labor shortage during war time. 8400 Taiwasese boys came to Japan as engineers. The first group entered a dorm in Yamato-city, Kanagawa on 9 May 1943.

He worked in a aircraft factory, Koza Navy Arsenal to engaged in production of a cutting-edge combat fighter "Raiden"(Lightning) while suffering in air raids.

He came to Japan alone when he was 16. He said that Japanese people around him were kind.

"When I played in a field on a holiday, one lady farmer called to me and stitched up a rent, sometimes gave me warm potatoes. When I gave her sugar from Taiwan, she gave me a rice cake in return." he recalled.

His experience of working in Japan for 3 years motivated his exchange activities.

Since he went back to Taiwan, he had kept his mind on Japan.

When the end martial law in 1988, he established "Taiwan Koza society".  Now he is the board chairperson of Koza Taiwanes-Japanes Exchange Association in Taiwan.

He attended wearing a special tie decorated with Raiden.

He received The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette last April.

He said humbly that this achievements have been made mostly as a result of efforts by our fellows.

68 years passed after the end of war, former junior engineers are now over 80 years old but they are ready to attend next reception after 10 years.

 

Mauritanian saved Japanese 

In 1993, an amateur Japanese team entered in The Dakar Rally.

2 Japanese were heading with their 4WD vehicle from Nouadhibou, the western-most region of Mauritania for Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania.

When they were close to a small fishing village, their vehicle crashed hard into a rock and smashed up.

A driver and a navigator had injured badly. But they couldn't escape from their wrecked vehicle.... Then a boy with his horse happened to pass.

A boy hurried back to his village, he told his father. "I saw that a car crashed into a rock. Their car has a same symbol as your boat. Help them." 

The symbol was Japanese national flag.

Once he got what his son meant, he immediately got the people together to rescue them.

2 Japanese were sent to his village, to an army post and finally to a hospital rapidly by a chopper.

Mauritanian saved 2 Japanese. 

Why did villager respond like that?

Why did they have boats with Japanese flag?

2 Japanese later heard the story.

Most of the villagers lived primarily by fishing but their rowboats were too small to fish offshore. Their catch was small.

In 1992, Japan heard their situation and gave fishing vessels and outboard engines freely to promote the inshore fishery. Those vessels had Japanese flag and Mauritanian flag as the sign of friendship.

The boy noticed the flag.

Since then Japan gave 45 fishing vessels and 61 outboard engines freely to Mauritanian. Their fish catches had increased. Japan also trained Mauritanian in new skills to fix engines.

Thats's the reason why Mauritanian knew something about Japan. 

This time, Mauritanian helped Japan.

Japanese thank Mauritanian for saving those 2 Japanese and we hope further friendly bilateral ties.

 

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